To be miffed regarding Carers allowance?

[Imsuchamess]

I am miffed at carers Allowance as I hope to go back to study a full time course a year September when my youngest is in full time and even though I will still administer 79 hours a week of care will not be getting more than a £100 a week I will still lose my carers allowance.

When all I am trying to do is get into a position when I am less reliant on the state and I must take a cut in money to do so.

YANBU, it's shit.

Will you be eligible for student finance?

that is crap. YANBU

It's ridiculous.

yep, it's horrible. The other thing to note is that even if contact time is less than 16 hours, they take into account independent study time. so, say, a 12 hour course with 4 hours study would still exclude you from CA.

YANBU - Lots of things about carers allowance are unfair

It's a benefit that saves the state millions a year as well..

Hope you can still manage to do your course. Have you been to CAB to find out if there's anything else you can do re finance?

YANBU. When you think about how much it would cost if the care given by carers had to be outsourced, the benefit itself is an insulting amount.

If you are doing the hours of care that fit the criteria to be awarded CA, then I think you should be allowed to earn more than £100 before you lose it. How are you supposed to manage financially? It's crazy.

You should be able to be a carer AND to work without being penalised. Maybe we should contact our MP's?

Carers Allowance has never, ever been fair.

I'm in the same situation. I will still be providing the same level of care as now, study is an addition not an alternative.

Yanbu. It is nonsenical.

You'd think carers' attempts to upskill and rejoin the labour market after a period of caring would be supported by the state.

Start a petition?

It's because you will be in full-time education, yes?

I, too, was trapped for years. I gave up in the end trying to get anywhere. I couldn't do it AND look after my son AND go to all the meetings (educational, hospital, psychologists, etc.)

Oh that's awful :( is there any chance you could do a similar course with the open university, and if so could you keep your allowance?

OP - I'm in the same boat. I start in September. 8 hours contact a week but still lose carers

I had to give up my degree because of similar. I was only doing 12 hours a week at university, but the studying I needed to do at home on an evening took me over the 16 hours and I lost my carers allowance.
I couldn't afford to carry on after that.

Look what I've found!

Full-time education in this sense is defined as 21 hours per week or more of classes, lectures, seminars and the individual study time expected by the university, college or learning provider. In practice, if a provider says the course is full-time the benefits agency will treat it as such.

From www.nus.org.uk/en/advice/caring-and-studying/benefits-for-student-carers/

and the individual study time expected by the university

That is particularly mean, isn't it? Counting private study at home/library?

I know.

It was the 21 hours bit I was highlighting.

Part time courses, even with the individual study time won't come to that - especially the PP who's course was only 8 hours contact time.

Totally unfair it always has been. Another anomaly is you cannot claim CA if you are getting a state pension! Caring doesn't stop when you meet the magic age when ever it is!!!!

Yanbu. It is nonsenical.

No it isn't. Not from the government perspective, it means that children do not receive it for caring for a parent.

Imsuchamess Could you do the course PT over 2 years?

It's a while since I was juggling education and benefits but it did used to go on whether a course was classed by the uni/college said a course was ft or pt, so I was studying pt attending exactly the same lectures as another student who was classed as ft because I was on benefits and she got a student loan.

It might be worth asking if the college can do something similar. Maybe postpone a piece of work so that you complete it over the summer break so it makes your course pt?